


Something Shifted

by WriterRose



Series: Shapeshifter AU [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: (in terms of basketball), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Animal Instincts, Animal Transformation, Canon Compliant, Gen, M/M, all of seirin appears in this but im just too lazy to tag them all, being animals makes then very touchy feely, but like a very FAMILIAR platonic if you know what i mean, but no one is actually an a/b/o, follows the events of season 1, some ppl can turn into animals, sort of????? there's talk about scents and bonds and things like that, the relationships can be platonic or romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28514643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterRose/pseuds/WriterRose
Summary: In a world where it’s not uncommon for humans to be able to take the form of an animal, Kagami tries to solve the mystery that is Kuroko Tetsuya; the shifter without a scent and an animal form that no one - besides the Generation of Miracles - has seen.[Animal shapeshifter AU, takes place during Season 1]
Relationships: Generation of Miracles & Kuroko Tetsuya, Generation of Miracles/Kuroko Tetsuya, Kagami Taiga & Kuroko Tetsuya, Kagami Taiga/Kuroko Tetsuya
Series: Shapeshifter AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2092041
Comments: 22
Kudos: 210





	Something Shifted

**Author's Note:**

> All the animal imagery they use in canon sent me spiraling. Thus, this was born. Detailed notes at the end to clarify things if need be.

“I wanna see it.”

“You’re going to have to be more specific for me please, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko deadpanned, words deceptively polite, seeing as how he didn’t even bother looking up from his book.

Kagami himself was also deceptive, he guessed, but with his actions. He was sitting backwards in his chair, slumped over the front of Kuroko’s desk lazily. Though in reality he was watching the other boy diligently, eyes zeroing in on a slender, pale finger as it soundlessly and smoothly flipped to a new page of his book.

“Your animal form.” Kagami elaborated, which finally earned him a passing glance from Kuroko. Just as soon as the slighter teen gave his attention though, it was gone again. 

“Whatever for?” Kuroko questioned plainly as his eyes went back to his light novel, tone suggesting he somehow found the request both odd yet not unexpected, all at the same time.

Kagami did his best not to sigh frustratedly.

Shifters were a bit rarer in Japan than they were in America, Kagami’s come to discover. And even then, the Japanese were more reserved in terms of sharing their animal forms. In America, it was normal for people to effortlessly shift in public. From children playfully nipping at one another in their second skins or allowing their friends to pet and cuddle them; to athletes or politicians getting a little too heated or emotional to control their wild instincts from taking over. It was a normal sight for him in America, to see bizarre, utterly out of place animals populating the streets or sitting in classrooms. 

Yet since he’s been in Japan, Kagami’s barely met any others like him, simply because an animal form wasn’t something that the Japanese flaunted as openly as Americans. Of course, he could sniff them out. His sense of smell has always been pretty good, but a shifter’s scent was usually harder to pick out when they were in their human form. It wasn’t as strong. Unless the shifter of course decided to let it be noticeable, which no one in Japan seemed to be interested in. 

Honestly, Kagami’s never smelt a more repressed group of people. If he went too long without shifting into his animal form, Kagami’s own human skin started to feel uncomfortable to him. Caging. He didn’t know how most of Japan seemed to be able to stand it.

Let alone Kuroko Tetsuya himself. The most reserved, mildly-mannered, ettique-conscious young person Kagami’s ever met. A guy with a scent that not even Kagami’s usually keen sense of smell could pick out, at all.

Kagami only even knew Kuroko was also a fellow shifter because it was mandatory for all of them to be made public when it came to sports. When adrenaline was pumping and emotions flaring, there was bound to be an accidental shifting or two on the court. Not to mention the possibility of getting injured or weakened to the point of exhaustedly reverting to one’s animal form. People had to be prepared...or something. Kagami didn’t really understand why himself.

There were only six shifters on the Seirin team in total, including Kagami and Kuroko (and the one unnamed senpai who was currently on leave for whatever reason). Apparently, that was quite a large amount, compared to other teams.

However, the mandate for publicly declaring one’s status as a shifter didn’t mean that someone had to disclose what animal they turned into, which is where Kagami’s current problem lied.

It’s not that he _needed_ to know what form Kuroko took when he shifted or anything. Just that, it would’ve been _nice_ to know. It’s been lonely in Japan. Kagami wasn’t used to suppressing a part of himself so actively, and the American returnee isn’t very reserved with his animal form to begin with. He can think of four separate occasions in which he’s already lost control of his instincts and accidentally shifted into his tiger form, both in and outside of practice. And that’s not even including the times where only his ears, teeth, and tail popped out… 

He can’t imagine what it must be like for Kuroko. Kagami’s never even seen a tuft of fur or a single whisker on him, despite the other’s lack of stamina. Yet he was a shifter all the same. 

At this point, Kagami’s seen the animal forms of two of the basketball team’s other shifters; Izuki’s rather deceptively regal looking black eagle (whenever he’d flee from Hyuuga’s physical wrath after a particularly unwanted pun and perch atop of the backboard) and Koganei’s playful yet domestic brown tabby form, that could be frequently seen lounging on Mitobe’s shoulders or layed out lazily on his back during their short respites between drills. And despite havingn't seen his animal form yet, Kagami’s been able to sniff out that Furihata is some sort of dog. He could always sniff out dogs…

But from Kuroko, Kagami’s gotten nothing. Zilch. What he does know about Kuroko’s animal form, he’s had to string together from random conversations and shared tidbits.

_“Well, this is a healthy mix, isn’t it?” the Coach had commented cheerily after lining up the shifters and briefing them on the rules and requirements they were expected to follow in order to compete._

_“I’m just happy it's not all predators here.” Furihata sighed, as if in relief, before looking to Kagami and Izuki and blanching. “N-N-Not that there’s anything wrong with that! J-Just that they tend to dominate. In sports, I mean!” he quickly defended._

_The Coach was scribbling something on one of her charts as she answered, “Statistically, that may be true. But that doesn’t mean shifters with an apex predatory animal form have any sort of advantage over any other player on the court, non-shifters and non-predatory shifters included. You’ll do best to remember that on the court.” she lectured definitively._

_“That’s right!” Koganei enthusiastically exclaimed as he put an arm each around Furihata and Kuroko. “Just because we’re not predator-predators doesn’t mean we’re not formidable opponents either! Domesticated animal forms aren’t any less impressive. Nee, Kuroko?”_

_“I agree wholeheartedly.” Kuroko nodded before his expression shifted into one of mild confusion. “But I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding. My animal form is a wild predator as well.”_

_The others then proceeded to proclaim both their confusion and apologize for their assumptions. They also tried to find out exactly what kind of animal he was (in fact, Kagami thinks that there’s some kind of betting pool based on it going on at the moment). But Kuroko kept politely mum and the others dropped it, seeing as how they hadn’t even seen anyone’s animal form at this point. The Coach merely smiled knowingly to herself._

“Just curious, is all…” Kagami sighed defeatedly, somewhat accepting that Kuroko wouldn’t readily share a detail he found so personal, probably for the sake of being polite. 

Kuroko then closed his book and placed it on the desk, fixing Kagami with a calculating stare. Kagami perked up and judging by the way his teammate’s eyes momentarily casted upwards, Kagami imagined that his ears had popped up again despite himself.

“Kagami-kun is really, genuinely curious about this?” Kuroko inquired, _some_ sort of foreign emotion leaking through his normally plain tone.

“Yeah, I am.” Kagami confirmed before he finally remembered his manners and the fact that he barely knew this kid. “But I get that revealing your second skin isn’t as normal over here, so I’ll stop bugging you if you really want me to. Just...It’s not a dog, is it?”

Kuroko stared at him some more, looking confused as to why such a thing mattered, before answering all the same, “No, my animal form is not a dog.”

Well, that was a relief. Kagami supposed he could let it go for now, the whole not-knowing-what-Kuroko’s-animal-form is, if he wasn’t some sort of dog. Kagami could think of no other urgent reason he needed to know the other’s form, unless Kuroko himself wanted to willingly share it with him. Until then, Kagami could just keep piecing together his random clues.

“Why?” Kuroko started up again, once more some sort of foreign emotion flickering in his eyes. “Is the big bad tiger afraid of a little dog?”

“S-Shut up!”

* * *

It was through meeting Kise that Kagami learned that Kuroko was considerably small when he shifted.

“I’m one of the less intimidating players. Especially since I’m not an apex predator, like most of the others.” Kise sheepishly explained after gatecrashing Seirin’s practice. “I’m smaller too, like Kurokocchi. They made fun of us for it all the time.”

“That never happened to me.” Kuroko helpfully supplied.

“What?! They only picked on me?” Kise whined, and that’s when Kagami finally got a good whiff of the weird blonde. He smelled of _canine._ Not directly a dog, but in the family no doubt. “But Kurokocchi is even tinier than me...” the blonde dismayed.

It wasn’t until after their practice match, on the streetball court when they were intimidating a bunch of thugs did Kagami get a reference for just how small. 

Honestly, the fact that they went the whole practice match against Kaijou without anyone reverting to their animal forms was quite impressive. Especially for Kuroko, who had been knocked out at one point. Kagami was certain that with the head injury, Kuroko’s body would’ve automatically shifted into his second skin in its weakened state. But no, Kuroko remained human the whole time. He even resumed playing in the match. He was stronger than he looked.

Seriously, not even an animal characteristic made itself visible on the light haired teen. Not even Kagami and Kise were spared from that. With all the adrenaline pumping, their teeth, ears, and tails popped out at some point, which confirmed Kagami’s suspicions that Kise was some sort of canine, with his pointed ears and fluffy tail. But Kuroko remained calm and rational, free from the urges of his latent instincts, which was super strange. Kagami’s pretty sure he even saw the Kaijou captain sporting some tusks at one point. 

It was an intense game. Kagami can’t imagine how he’s going to last being able to keep his human form a whole game, especially if the other Miracles were supposed to be even bigger posturers than Kise.

But he digresses. It was at the streetball court, facing those punks who played unfairly where Kagami not only saw Kise’s full animal form, but got a reference for just how small Kuroko’s was in his. 

Kagami couldn’t stop himself from shifting into his tiger form, giving a good snarl at the little pricks who tried to intimidate Kuroko when they thought he was all alone on the streetball court. Unsurprisingly, Kise joined him in the posturing as well, a sly looking fox sliding up along Kuroko’s other side, brushing up against the human’s legs, practically sneering at their weaker opponents. The thugs blanched.

“What you were doing is not basketball. You’ve made my companions upset.” Kuroko calmly began, skillfully spinning a ball on his finger. He abruptly stopped and caught the ball, his palms colliding with the rough leather with a resounding _smack._ “However, we could just resolve this conflict with a game, to make things more fair?”

Shit. Kuroko could be scary if he wanted. It’s not like he threatened them with his own strength, but he really sounded like a mob boss or something in that moment, sending his goons off to deal with his problems. It was kind of awesome. Kagami knows that that made himself one of the said goons, but he found himself not really minding.

Needless to say, they wiped the floor with those losers, but the fact that Kuroko remained in his human form the whole time boggled Kagami. 

“Sometimes a worded threat is more effective than a physical one, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko had explained when Kagami had asked him about it later on that evening. Kuroko’s eyes then shifted to the side. “Regardless, I didn’t think they would’ve been very intimidated by me had I shifted.”

Then it made sense to Kagami. Kuroko rarely shifted because his animal form wasn’t really all that impressive. In fact, he may be weaker as an animal than he is a human, what with how small he supposedly was. Smaller than Kise, who was a rather large fox but a fox no less. Though Kuroko was still a predator, so Kagami supposed that that couldn’t be the only reason. Kuroko was probably just modest in general and maybe not all that unaffected by all that animal kingdom hierarchy junk as he appeared.

* * *

It was through Midorima that Kagami was reminded that Kuroko was indeed some sort of predator in his animal form. Though that didn’t really mean much, considering Koganei was considered a predator as well, and he was just a house cat. And he was sure that Kuroko wasn’t any sort of cat, either. Kagami was usually good at sniffing out his fellow felines.

During the Shutoku game, Kuroko left Kagami baffled as always, with his non-existent scent and lack of personal folley to his instincts. Honestly, looking at the non-threatening teen, one would’ve thought Kuroko was a prey animal of some kind (if he wasn't already passed off as a non-shifter). But no, there was only one non-predator in the Generation of Miracles, Kagami learned, and that was Midorima Shintarou. 

If his scent wasn’t enough of an indicator, then the way he performed was; calm, collected. Entirely unchanged throughout the game. There were plenty of moments where emotion flashed across his face, but he remained wholly...humanistic throughout the game. Though his scent was still powerful. Pretty dominating, compared to most non-predatory shifters. 

When the match had ended in Seirin’s victory and they gave their formal farewells, Midorima had stalked off the court. Kagami wasn’t quite done picking apart the mysterious shifter, though he had bigger problems at the time. He had exhausted himself to the point where he temporarily couldn’t switch back into a human.

After three of their equally as exhausted teammates had to struggle dragging a deadweight tiger off the court, the rest of Seirin decided that they weren’t going anywhere until Kagami properly regained his energy. At least to the point where they could drag _the human_ off somewhere... 

Then it was just him and Kuroko remaining in the locker room. Kagami wasn’t sure where the rest of the team had gone off to. Someone might’ve said something about looking for somewhere to eat.

Kuroko was laid out on the bench nearest to Kagami. Equally as exhausted, yet still a human _somehow._ Kagami’s own body had recovered enough that he could change back into his human form only about two minutes ago. He would’ve thought Kuroko remaining a human was impossible, had he not just experienced something similar on the court.

Like Kuroko, Midorima had remained in his full human form throughout the entire match. Not even any animal characteristics made themselves visible. He didn’t even let out any growls or anything. Though that didn’t hide his scent from Kagami. 

It was strong, signaling that the animal it came from could be rather dangerous, given the right circumstances. But the scent was also one that was distinctly from an animal of prey. A large, potentially dangerous one, but a prey animal all the same.

“What even is he, by the way?” Kagami had asked, finally able to sit up. “Midorima.” he clarified.

“That’s a rather personal question, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko stated blandly, adjusting the damp towel that was over his forehead, the only movement he had done in the past 10 minutes. “You may ask Midorima-kun himself and he may answer if he’d like, but ultimately he may refuse. And that's his prerogative.”

It was a sound verbal beating on Kuroko’s part, if Kagami’s ever heard one. It cemented for him not only the Japanese view on shifting, but Kuroko’s personal feelings as well. 

Though fate seemed to be in Kagami’s favor still, because later that night at dinner during that sudden storm, the restaurant’s doors slid open violently to reveal a drenched-looking stag sitting in the doorway. It seemed everyone in the restaurant gave a collective blink.

A large black bird of some kind then swooped in soon after, flicking water everywhere before suddenly, Takao was dropping to the ground, a few droplets still clinging to his dark hair.

“Pardon the intrusion!” he called to the owners and other patrons. His eyes then immediately fell to Kuroko, as he noticed him first and the rest of Seirin soon after. Something like relief flashed through his eyes, but he covered it up quickly. “We got left behind by our teammates and stuck in the storm because Shin-chan was off crying for so long.” he explained, gesturing to the massive elk still in the doorway.

The stag gave an indignant sounding huff through its nostrils and stomped a hoof.

Kagami stared. “That’s—”

“Midorima-kun.” Kuroko nodded in greeting.

“I guess you really did go all out during that last game, huh, Midorimacchi?” Kise said with a sympathetic smile.

The stag - Midorima apparently - merely turned his head away, startling when one of his rather impressive-looking antlers clanged against the door at the motion.

“I’ll say! Now he’s stuck like this.” Takao explained, sounding rather put-out. “I told him to stop trying so hard to suppress his instincts during the match but did he listen? _Nooooo._ Just _had_ to seem all calm and collected the whole time to impress Seirin.”

Again, Midorima banged his antlers against the doorway at the unwanted commentary, as if he had made a move with the intention of hitting Takao but was prevented from doing so by the weighty appendages getting caught against the sides of the narrow entryway.

“Is he...stuck?” the Kaijou captain finally inquired, sounding like he had tried his best to mind his business up until this point.

“It’s alright.” Kuroko said from suddenly across the room, at the entryway. He managed to sneak away again without anyone’s notice. “Takao-kun, I’ll show you how to assist properly in this sort of situation.” the light haired teen offered, sounding rather civil considering said hawk-eyed shifter had caused him quite the bit of trouble earlier. (Now that Kagami thought about it, that was probably the animal that Takao was, a hawk).

“They’ve gotten bigger, Midorima-kun.” Kuroko noted politely, indicating the antlers. “They’re quite impressive.”

Midorima huffed once more but surprisingly allowed for the other to gently take ahold of his head.

“...though I can see how they can be cumbersome.” the light haired teen furthered. “Pardon me.” he said before proceeding to demonstrate to Takao how to maneuver Midorima’s antlers through the doorway without hurting his head or neck in the process. 

“This happened a few times in middle school.” Kise explained to the table, tone sounding rather reminiscent. “Midorimacchi never really liked his instincts taking over during games or practices, so his rebound period’s a bit longer than most. He once said it was because the antlers messed with his balance or something, but if you ask me, I think he just doesn’t like letting others know that he’s a prey animal.” the blonde added on rather conspiratorially.

“Stop spouting lies, Kise.” Midorima spat, conveniently having switched back into his human form now that all that trouble had been dealt with. There was a noticeable dusting of pink along his cheeks, Kagami couldn’t help but notice.

Kuroko helpfully, wordlessly handed the still-drenched teen a napkin that the shooter then proceeded to wipe his glasses dry with, which got Kagami thinking. 

How did Kuroko of all people last so long repressing his instincts and animal form if not even a strong Miracle like Midorima was able to avoid it in the end?

Then Kagami’s thoughts were put on the backburner for the moment as Takao stole the Kaijou captain away and Midorima, Kise, Kuroko, and Kagami all sat at the same table, staring awkwardly at each other.

From their seniors’ table off to the side, Izuki mused, “Is it just me, or is this atmosphere a little stag-nant?”

“Go fly into that storm and don’t come back.” was the only response that comment received, courtesy of Hyuuga.

* * *

It was from that bastard Aomine that Kagami learned of the real dynamic between the Miracles. 

There had always been a lingering scent on Kuroko, Kagami realized after spending more time with his shadow. Not a scent of his own, which was what threw Kagami off for so long, but the scents of others. As in, _multiple_ scents. Kuroko had bonded with somebody. Multiple somebodys. 

It had been a long time since the imprinting had happened, judging by the way the foreign scents were barely discernible at first. The bond hadn’t been renewed in a while, it seemed. A few months at the very least. But the fact that it had happened at all had thrown Kagami for a loop. Imprintings between non-family members were rare, even in America. They were something deep and personal. For a group of culturally-repressed Japanese people to have gone through it, for someone as private and closed-off as _Kuroko_ to have gone through it, it had to be huge. And the last thing that Kagami expected.

But it made sense. This was why he couldn’t smell Kuroko’s own scent. It was literally buried under a heady layer of other scents that were overwhelmingly powerful on their own, but mind-numbing when combined. 

Kagami spent the weeks since this discovery picking apart the scents at every opportunity. He’s been able to pick out at least four distinctive ones so far.

There were two he recognized. Something fragrant and clingy - _Kise_ \- and something rich and earthy - _Midorima._ Then there were others he didn’t recognize. Something floral and peppy and pleasant; and something sweet and tangy and salty all at once. 

Then there were those last two scents. The strongest ones.

Something electric and vibrant. _Powerful._ It was thicker than most of the others, suggesting not only that this person was pretty strong, but that they had spent a lot of time with Kuroko. They were close (were as in past-tense, clearly). However the most dominating scent was something heavy and metallic, like blood. It was slightly nauseating to Kagami’s sensitive nose and seemed to state a warning; _keep away._ It was the pack leader’s scent, Kagami deduced. 

The Generation of Miracles were part of a pack. Or rather, they used to be. The scents still lingered, but the bonds were broken. The breaking of a bond was traumatic and devastating. Kagami barely survived his own coming apart. He can’t imagine how Kuroko seemed fine and coping, and he had a _pack_ bond. 

God, the Miracles’ bullshit attitudes all made sense suddenly. They were all traumatized, being separated from each other like that. Kagami could recognize the signs of their former closeness, now that he thought about it. Kise’s lingering over-familiarity with Kuroko. Midorima’s allowance of being touched and assisted not by his current teammate, but a former one. Kuroko’s lingering loyalty in the form of not sharing their secrets (that didn’t have to do with basketball).

That begged the question though; why weren’t the Miracles still together? If they formed a pack bond, why did they all choose to separate and go to different schools?

Meeting Momoi and Aomine only brought up more concerns for Kagami. 

Though he only met her briefly and not directly, Kagami could tell that the pink haired girl was that floral scent that lingered on Kuroko. In fact, it was the only non-familial female scent on him. It wasn’t a particularly powerful scent compared to the others on his shadow, but compared to the average shifters’, it was definitely a strong one. Which made no sense to Kagami because Momoi was like a little pink parrot or something in her animal form, fluttering about Kuroko, landing on his shoulder and rubbing a feathery cheek into his own.

The addition of another character who had not only a _broken_ bond with Kuroko, but a feeling of entitlement to continue being all touchy-feely with him despite it, had soured something in Kagami and caused him to stalk off on his own for a bit.

That’s when he met _him._

He caught whiff of him first. It was something electric and menacing, like the sky before lightning struck. The scent alone caused Kagami to shift forms unconsciously, instincts flaring and warning him about _something._

Ears lowered against his head and a growl in his throat, he turned to meet the threat head on.

That’s when he saw the sleek, large panther walking towards him lethargically, actions in no way matching the menacing scent making Kagami’s instincts go crazy.

The panther eyed Kagami with vague interest, stopping in front of the ball that had rolled away from the redhead. It made a sound in its throat as it pawed at the ball, a lazy purr being the closest descriptor Kagami could think of for the sound. As if the panther was amused or considering something.

Then the panther was shifting; a tall, dark haired, tanned teenager now standing in its place, instincts apparently unthreatened by Kagami’s animal form. He picked up the ball at his feet.

“You’re Kagami Taiga, huh?” the teen seemed to droll.

Ignoring his own instincts that warned against it, Kagami shifted back into his human form, glaring at the other. “Do I know you?”

“Satsuki said something about a tiger.” the teen continued as he began to dribble the ball lazily a few times, not directly answering Kagami’s question. He stopped bouncing the ball almost as soon as he started, catching it effortlessly in one hand. “But I can also smell him on you. Barely, but hard for someone like _me_ to miss. Tetsu’s got a thing for big cats, huh?” he seemed to chuckle humorlessly.

Had he not been reminded of it when they named that stupid dog and met Momoi, Kagami would’ve not immediately known who he was talking about. But the reminders of Kuroko’s given name were fresh in his mind. 

Like Momoi, this guy used an overly familiar-sounding nickname though, which for some reason pissed him off more than Kise’s clingy-ness or lengthening of the light haired teen’s family name. It sounded much too close, too familiar for people with a broken bond to be using.

And that pissed Kagami off more than anything. More than the other teen’s arrogant air. Because the other teen could recognize Kuroko’s own, _original_ scent, something that Kagami hasn’t been able to do himself yet.

Shortly after, Kagami was formally introduced to Aomine Daiki and given a proper demonstration of his power. And the sad truth was that not even with his legs in working order would Kagami have stood a better chance.

“I met Aomine.” Kagami confessed to his partner the next day.

Kuroko’s already wide eyes seemed to widen a fraction before returning to their normal state, the change no doubt indiscernible to the unfamiliar eye. At least Kagami has that going for him.

“Is that so?” Kuroko merely answered, voice not betraying any underlying emotions he may have been feeling as he continued to walk alongside him. 

Kagami hated it, hated how Kuroko seemed to be opening up to him, that they seemed to be getting closer with each victory that they shared and then along came Momoi and Aomine, who caused Kuroko’s already rare smiles to vanish all together again.

Instead of voicing any of this however, Kagami instead inquired, “Were you guys close or something?” despite already knowing the answer himself.

Some strange kindness from the universe then befell Kagami as Kuroko then willingly shared with him some details about the Miracles' past together, specifically his relationship with Aomine, his former light.

“You guys were a pack. All of you.” Kagami found himself unable to withhold after hearing Kuroko’s story, after re-promising that they’d face off against the others together, as a team.

“A pride, technically. But yes.” Kuroko answered shortly, tone suggesting that was all he had to say on the matter. 

Kagami then decided to quit while he was ahead. He’d already learned all he needed to know for now. His legs needed to heal so he could beat Aomine, if not for his own sake, then for the team’s. For Kuroko’s.

* * *

Losing to Touou had only cemented Kagami’s feelings about getting stronger. He lost control during that game, unable to suppress his instincts. By the time they reached the second half and his legs had given out, he couldn’t stop himself from reverting into his full tiger form. He couldn’t shift back either, no matter how hard he tried to. 

His body couldn’t handle his pain, so it took the choice of playing away from him. His human half was too weak. He was benched for the rest of the game and Seirin lost.

Aomine rubbing their defeat in their faces was humiliating, but nothing was more infuriating to Kagami than Kuroko’s devastated acceptance as he remained on the floor, head bowed, as though submitting to Aomine’s power over them. Over him.

Kagami never wanted to see that sight again.

He spent his time on leave from the team (actually) resting his legs and trying to get better at keeping his instincts under control. His own guilt probably kept him from talking to Kuroko more in depth than his vague _“We can’t help each other like this anymore”_ right after the game, but it was all Kagami was able to get himself to say at the time.

A few weeks later he joined practice again to feel it out, but decided quite quickly that normal practice wouldn’t help him. He needed control, not power. However, before he could leave again, a new member of their team stopped him. 

Or rather, an old member had finally returned.

 _“He’s_ coming today.” the Coach announced vaguely. 

Just as the seniors finished up sharing their thoughts on the returning member to the freshmen, the gym doors burst open.

...And then a large mass of brown fur rolled into the gym, coming to a stop in a sitting position, four massive clawed paws touching each other as the creature sat comfortably in the entryway. It sat like a human, but it clearly wasn’t one. 

It was a bear.

The seniors all seemed to groan collectively. 

“I guess he’s a bit excited…” Tsuchida trailed, as though he were trying to be understanding and supportive.

“I kinda don’t blame him.” Koganei said sympathetically, but his expression suggested it was out of pity more than anything else. “It has been a while.”

“That’s…” Kawahara began to trail before in a lazy motion - after a false start or two - the big bear was finally able to drop itself onto its front paws with a grunt, shaking itself out like a wet dog before suddenly a smaller (though still quite large by human standards) person was standing in its place.

“Kiyoshi Teppei.” the dopey-looking human introduced himself, a wide smile on his face, as if his entrance was totally normal. He was also wearing the Seirin basketball uniform.

“Why are you in your uniform?” Hyuuga shouted, apparently much less understanding than his other year-mates . “Better yet, why were you shifted? Were you walking around campus like that?”

“I was excited.” Kiyoshi confirmed sheepishly, answering both questions at once with a shrug. “I’m a little pent up, I guess.”

“I’ll say!”

“Now, now, Hyuuga.” Izuki chided gently. “It has been a while. Bear with him for a moment.”

Silence. Until;

“HahHahHah! That’s pretty funny!” Kiyoshi exclaimed at the same time that Hyuuga turned to the dark haired teen and yelled, “Don’t you start too!” but Izuki had already shifted and flown off to the safety of the rafters.

Over all, Kiyoshi wasn’t what any of the freshmen seemed to be expecting. Though he was a powerful shifter, Kagami noticed. Intimidating, almost on par with the Miracles. 

But he didn’t seem it. At all. 

Kiyoshi had challenged Kagami to a one-on-one for the starting position on the team but when they played, none of his clear power and strength came through. Kagami won, but it was a pretty hollow victory.

The redhead left practice feeling confused but decided not to dwell on it for now. He had more important things to worry about than strange new senpai.

They had the rest of the games left in the tournament and Kagami continued to focus working on his control. At some point, he had explained his intentions to Hyuuga, who must’ve spilled the beans to Kuroko seeing as not too long after that, the light haird teen had found Kagami on their usual streetball court, searching for his breath as well as his words. 

After a quick, very one-sided one-on-one, the two promised each other to get stronger on their own and then combine their powers in time for the Winter Cup, the air between them cleared once more. 

And just in time for the beach training camp, at that.

* * *

Annoyingly, Kagami spent most of the training camp by himself, but Kuroko had joined him running on the beach one night. They talked a bit about their training, how they planned to get stronger (Kuroko still having had no plan at the moment).

“If you take too long, I’ll leave you behind.” Kagami teased, not really as serious as his tone suggested. Deciding it was maybe a little too much of a barb for such a serious moment, he added on, “But don’t worry, you’ll think of something. I trust you.”

But then Kuroko stopped, causing Kagami to as well when he didn’t feel the other’s presence at his side anymore (honestly, what a personal victory that was, being able to notice). God, did Kagami somehow say the wrong thing again? Even when he was trying to be nice?

“Kagami-kun.” Kuroko called softly, his serious yet uncharacteristically uncertain tone getting Kagami to turn around. For once, Kuroko wasn’t meeting his gaze but staring out at the ocean. “I don’t trust easily.” he stated tentatively.

Kagami thanked his brain cells for properly functioning and keeping him from interrupting with a sarcastic, _‘You don’t say’._

Instead, he said, “I get why,” leaving his reason for knowing unsaid. He thought back to one of their first conversations as classmates, when they weren’t quite friends yet. The one where Kagami had asked the other about his animal form. “It’s not like I’m offended or something that you don’t feel the need to share everything with me. Things are just different here. You’re different.” Kagami reassured.

“I wasn’t always though.” Kuroko said so softly that the wind almost carried the sound away. “In middle school, I was...much more open. Less closed off, so to speak. Before things changed.”

Kagami grimaced at the confirmation of one of his longtime suspicions, vowing to beat those Miracles even harder for making the other teen as emotionally-reserved as he was. “Kuroko—” he began, sensing where this was going, before being interrupted.

“I want to be that way with you too. Honestly.” Kuroko confessed, shutting Kagami right up. “But it’s difficult for me. Or rather, it _was._ I never thought I’d ever feel as close to someone else as I did with the others, once upon a time, before…” he trailed before stopping himself. Kuroko seemed to shake the thought from his head, before looking back up at Kagami determinedly. “But I don’t feel that way anymore. I want to keep working with Seirin. With you. Not as your supporter, but as your equal. As your partner. I want to be stronger.”

Kagami swallowed thickly and did his best to keep his voice as neutral as possible. “I want that too.”

A short pause followed. And then;

“Good. I’m glad.” Kuroko smiled at him, looking relieved, almost. Kagami’s brain nearly short-circuited this time. Kuroko then looked away once more and sighed, “Well then, I suppose it’s time I stopped being so unfair to you.”

And before Kagami could even begin to ask him what he meant by that, Kuroko was gone from his sight. Had disappeared between blinks.

But then he smelt it.

_Worn out rubber. Fresh, crisp paper. Vanilla._

Kagami looked down, following the scent, and nearly made a surprised noise at what he saw. 

In the spot where his friend once stood, barely noticeable against the moonlit sand was a small, white, sleek yet fluffy-looking...thing. An animal.

Kuroko had shifted. _Kuroko had shifted._

And then before he knew it, Kagami had shifted too, his tiger form crouching to the ground, laying flat on his stomach and tilting his head down to get a better look and sniff at the tiny creature. The creature, _Kuroko_ then perched up on his hindlegs, looking like a meerkat _\- but definitely not actually one, the coloring was all off -_ as he met Kagami halfway, touching the tip of his pink nose to the tip of the tiger’s own, as if to say, _‘Yes, it’s me, hello’._

The lingering scent of the other Miracles was definitely still pretty strong, but Kuroko’s own scent was dominating and unmissable in his animal form. Kagami was confused as to how that worked, how Kuroko was able to just mask his own presence and scent like that as a human but have such a normal one as a...as a whatever he was right now.

As if he somehow heard Kagami’s inner questions, Kuroko then shifted back into his human form once more, sitting on the sand in front of Kagami. Kagami did an excellent job of keeping his dismayed whine from being voiced.

Then, unexpectedly, Kuroko hummed, reaching a hand out and brushing against the fur at the side of Kagami’s head. Kagami would’ve shifted back too, but the unfamiliarly gentle touch of the other kept him from doing so. The tiger was afraid that if he changed back now, he’d lose the contact. 

Kuroko brushed some fur out of Kagami’s eyes so he could better look into them. Said beast held back a wayward purr. “You’re surprised.” Kuroko discerned, a soft amused smile on his lips.

Kagami only let out a rumbling noise of confirmation, surprised-but-not that the light haired teen was still able to read him so well, even when he wasn’t human.

“I think I can answer some of your questions. Firstly, I’m not a ferret or a rat.” Kuroko began, flat tone suggesting that that was a common misconception that bothered him a bit. “I’m an ermine, also known as a stoat. But since my coat is always white, that technically makes me an ermine.”

Kagami let out another noise, slowly jerking his head in a sign of understanding, even if he was a little confused.

Kuroko gave a nod of his own before continuing, “Secondly, my scent, well, it’s never been very strong in my human form. Something genetic, I think. But in middle school, we discovered that if my own scent was masked by others’, my misdirection would be more effective.” he explained, voice even and unwavering. “That’s why the others imprinted on me, why we bonded. There were other reasons too - at least, I like to believe that there were - but that was the main one.” he finished, looking contemplative.

Kagami felt as though he’d never heard the other speak so much in a single instance before. He growled at the look on the other’s face, the clinical tone of acceptance he recited the information with.

Kuroko looked back up to him. His palm, still against Kagami’s furry cheek, seemed to press against him more firmly. As if to say, _‘pay attention to this next part’._

“Do you understand what I’m trying to say, Kagami-kun?” he prompted. “What I’m asking?”

Kagami did. At least, he thought he did. But he needed the other to say it himself. 

Kagami pressed his cheek against the hand in return. As expected, Kuroko seemed to understand what the action meant.

“Bond with me.” Kuroko requested, tone sounding firm, as though he didn’t want to be misunderstood. As if to affirm that this was something that he really, truly wanted. “My already weak scent in my human form can be completely masked by yours if you imprint on me. Then I’ll go more easily unnoticed by both shifters and regular players. It’ll help the team’s play.”

Kagami rumbled disapprovingly. Once again, Kuroko seemed to understand what he meant just fine.

“...But I also _want_ to have a bond with you. Not just because it’ll help improve our basketball.” Kuroko furthered at the tiger’s insistence. “I didn’t think I was ready before, but I’m certain now. I trust you, Kagami-kun.”

Well, that was all that Kagami needed to hear. He didn’t think he could stop himself at this point, as he found himself almost unconsciously closing the distance between them in an instance, swiping his rough tongue up along the underside of Kuroko’s chin. The sound that followed his actions only furthered to fuel Kagami’s ministrations.

Kuroko was _laughing._ Tiny, helpless sounding hiccups escaping his throat as Kagami was practically in his lap, rubbing his face along the light haired teen’s neck, his cheek, his head.

“K-Kagami-kun. Kagami-kun, you’re crushing me.” Kuroko chided, sounding as though he were trying his best to keep his voice flat but unable to keep the amusement out of it. 

Kagami gave a rather unapologetic rumbling grunt but didn’t let up. He gave another lick, by his left ear, causing the light blue locks to stick up in an outrageous-looking way. 

“You’re just an overgrown house cat. You’re _purring.”_ Kuroko pointed out, doing his best to rub out the slobber from his skin and hair. “And all the licking is wholly unnecessary.” he said drolly.

 _And so what,_ Kagami wanted to say. There was only so much of the big dumb cat that he could control. 

Instead, in retaliation, Kagami then proceeded to flop down on top of Kuroko, properly pinning him, causing the slighter teen to let out a soft, involuntary _“oof”._ Kagami then crossed his paws atop of Kuroko’s chest, resting comfortably. 

To his credit, Kuroko only looked minorly annoyed. “I’ll have to shift if we’re to finish this properly, you know. You can’t keep me here forever.”

Kagami swatted his tail. _‘Details, details’…_

“Do you…” Kuroko then began before stopping himself. Again, the air around the other seemed to turn more serious, so Kagami gave him his full attention. At his look, Kuroko started again, “Do you want me to mark you? You don’t really have to if you don’t want to. The effect will be the same if it's only you. You wouldn’t really smell like me anyway, if I did. My own scent would only really be noticeable if—” he started to explain, but Kagami had already stopped listening.

One-sided bonds were done to mark someone as someone else’s property, not their friend, not their partner.

As his answer, Kagami simply removed himself from atop of Kuroko. Backing up a bit before sitting on his haunches, waiting patiently though unable to keep his tail from flopping about slowly, like a charmed snake.

Kuroko slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position, eyeing the tiger, seeming a little stunned. 

Then Kuroko was smiling at him again. That soft, surprised smile of his that Kagami was quickly growing to like _a lot._ “Kagami-kun really is amazing.” the slighter teen mused, as if to himself.

Kagami didn’t know what he was being praised for exactly, but it didn’t matter because then Kuroko was shifting and the little furry white thing - the ermine, Kuroko - was back, once again stretching up onto his hindlegs and Kagami was reaching down to meet him, allowing the little thing to tentatively rub up against the underside of his chin with his tiny head. The massive beast gladly returned the ministrations (in a much more gentler manner than he had to the human earlier). 

Nothing else mattered then. Not strength or growth or Miracles, because Kagami and Kuroko were now well and truly equal. Were real partners in one of the deepest senses that there was; they were bonded. 

God, Kagami hadn’t formed a bond since Tatsuya. It felt good to have one again. To have _this_ one. It was comforting. And most importantly, not lonely.

The scent of the Miracles on Kuroko and even Tatsuya on Kagami was fading, quickly being replaced by a heavy, comforting blanket of scents that conjured up images of the neon-lit sidewalks on their way home from Maji Burger; the streetball court at night where they’d reunite, the first time after club sign-ups and the next after their first loss; a moonlit beach with cold sand and rousey waves, but a warm body and the gentle press of it against his own.

In that moment, Kagami felt like he was being given something special. 

It felt like trust.

* * *

.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.

**_(bonus)_ **

When Kagami and Kuroko had finally finished doing a thorough job of coating the other in their own scent, they’d been gone for quite some time. So long that by the time they reached the lodge once more, the rest of the team was congregated in the lobby, about to head out searching for them.

“There you are!” the Coach exclaimed, both looking and sounding equal parts worried, relieved, and furious all at once.

But then Furihata froze, before drawing his hand up to his nose, staring at Kagami and Kuroko with wide eyes and a blush on his face. “Y-You… Y-You two…?” he started and stopped multiple times, unable to get the words out. 

Though that was alright, because it seemed that the other shifters finally figured out what he was trying to say a moment later, when they caught the scent themselves. 

“Oh, are congratulations in order?” Kiyoshi asked, a wide smile on his face, the Coach and Captain staring at him in confusion.

“Congrats, you guys!” Koganei freely offered up, looking very enthusiastic. Even Mitobe, a non-shifter, seemed to understand, smiling happily in support.

“We bonded.” Kuroko calmly, briefly explained at the same time that Kagami clarified, _“I-It’s a familial bond!”_ much less composed than his partner, a red flush on his face that could rival his hair, in terms of hue.

“Kagami’s scent’s all over Kuroko.” Izuki explained to the rest of the team. The Coach’s eyes lit up in understanding. 

Hyuuga gave a surprised jerk. “Hah?”

Kagami then went on to explain how it’d help Kuroko’s misdirection on the court, how his scent as a human wasn’t very noticeable to begin with. Kuroko even offered up a shorter explanation that it was a method that the Miracles themselves had discovered and utilized.

“But I don’t get it.” Kawahara started, expression matching his voiced confusion. “Wouldn’t Kuroko stand out more if he smelled like the other Miracles? Like Kagami?”

“Saying Kuroko smells like Kagami isn’t really right though.” Koganei stated, looking contemplative. 

“More like Kagami smells like the strength of his scent _doubled._ Like there’s two of him.” Furihata explained. “I could only notice it was on Kuroko because the scent appeared when they did.” he indicated towards the light and shadow. “Which means that on the court filled with other players—”

“Kuroko-kun, or rather Kagami’s extra scent, would mix with the other players’.” the Coach finished, looking like she had just come to the conclusion as well. “They wouldn’t be able to place it. Kagami would just seem extra strong.”

“In my case, it’s more of a masking than a marking.” Kuroko furthered.

“I see… This could work.” the Coach seemed to approve. “I’ll admit, the fact that shifters could possibly be more aware of Kuroko-kun because of his scent was worrying to me, but I had no idea how to go about it myself.” she confessed. 

Then she looked up, fixing Kuroko and Kagami with a serious, calculating look. “But are you two sure about this? Even I know that a bond is something serious and personal. It shouldn’t just be used for the sake of basketball. It’s something permanent, something that lingers.”

Though it was already much too late for them to have second thoughts, Kuroko assured, “I know what it means. I wanted to bond with Kagami-kun. He’s my dear friend.”

Kagami felt something in him melt, unable to keep himself from brushing his arm against Kuroko’s own. Kuroko didn’t pull away, only looking to Kagami briefly and offering a soft smile.

Something in the Coach seemed to soften at that as well. “Alright. Well, I’m happy for you two, then. And you better be as serious about this as Kuroko-kun is Bakagami! It’s not just all about basketball now!” the Coach seemed to bark.

Kagami flinched. “I know, I know! I am serious! He’s my partner now.”

Kuroko was the one to initiate the contact at that, a gentle bumping of his shoulder into Kagami’s side. Kagami was very pleased to note that not even modest Kuroko was immune from their new bond’s urges for sharing contact. It only strengthened the bond when they did.

“How nice.” Tsuchida smiled. The other seniors smiled at them approvingly in return.

“Um,” Furihata started timidly, drawing everyone’s attention. “Does this mean that you’ve seen Kuroko’s animal form, then?”

Everyone else seemed to realize this possibility as soon as the freshman mentioned it. They looked to Kagami.

Kagami raised up his head in a rather smug way. “I have!”

The room erupted at that. 

“Ah, I’m jealous now...” Koganei sighed. Mitobe shared a remorseful nod. 

Fukuda cursed, “Damn, there goes my 2,000 yen…”

“Well, _none_ of us won. Kagami wasn’t in on the bet.” Kawahara pointed out.

“Ah, yes, but we could still guess the animal—” Fukuda started to argue before he was interrupted. 

“Well,” Kuroko began. “Just because I’m bonded with Kagami-kun doesn’t mean I don’t trust the team too.” he said and then he had disappeared again, between blinks. 

But then the shifters smelt it. 

“Oh, oh!” Koganei exclaimed, being the first to look down. “He _does_ have his own scent!” 

“Kuroko?!” someone indistinguishable then exclaimed, just as the whole team noticed that the little creature on the floor was in fact their teammate.

The Coach then knelt to the floor, offering her hand to Kuroko. “May I?” she asked. The ermine climbed aboard. The girl seemed to be doing her best not to openly coo. “Obviously, I knew what you must look like since it’s written in your record, but seeing it in person is something else. Shifters really are impressive.”

“He’s a...ferret?” Hyuuga guessed, looking over the Coach’s shoulder.

Kuroko managed a rather impressively blank look, for having such a cute little face in this form.

“He’s a...ermine? Yeah, an ermine.” Kagami explained before promptly shifting and circling the Coach, the tiger possessively stalking his partner. 

Then a loud yip had Kagami bounding for the nearest corner, sending the team into a cacophony of laughter as Nigou leapt into the room. He circled the Coach’s legs a few times and barked excitedly, reaching up the Coach’s legs to try and get a look at his master, who had taken such an interesting shape. 

“Oh, do you want to say hi?” the Coach said in her baby-voice that was reserved solely for Nigou. She lowered Kuroko down and the master and puppy bopped noses with each other. The Coach barely contained her squeal.

Kuroko and Nigou then seemed to come to some kind of wordless understanding, as the ermine climbed atop of the puppy’s back and Nigou padded over to Kagami, who was still cowering in the corner. He let out a warbling snarl that wasn’t very threatening to either of the approaching animals.

Nigou stopped a fair distance away and Kuroko gracefully jumped onto Kagami’s back, letting out a soft chittering noise. It seemed to calm the tiger down, but he still watched the dog warrily. 

“Well, this seems like fun. Good team bonding!” Kiyoshi proclaimed before he was knocking over a side table and Hyuuga himself as he shifted into his bear form, right in the lobby. 

“Moron! There’s barely room for a tiger in here, let alone your big ass!” Hyuuga exclaimed from the loveseat he had luckily fallen into.

He was paid no mind though as the other shifters were apparently no longer able to contain their own desire to greet their companions in their own second skin and had shifted as well. Izuki swooping down to perch on Hyuuga’s shoulder, who then screeched at the feeling of the talons digging into his skin uncomfortably. The eagle only let out an amused shriek of his own. Koganei had climbed atop of Mitobe and then the brown tabby had leapt at Tsuchida after he noticed the other making fun of Mitobe being made into a human kitty post. Even Furihata had shifted, a tiny little fluffy chihuahua currently being greeted by Nigou, who was very interested in all the new friends that had magically appeared.

Aida did her best to contain her excited squeals at everything that was unfolding. Her boys being nice to each other was already one of her weaknesses. Her boys all getting along as cute animals would certainly be the death of her.

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes to clarify things, if anything wasn’t clear;
> 
> \- In his human form, Kuroko smells more like other people than he does himself (his family members, the Miracles, etc...)  
> \- Spending a lot of time with someone can also cause you to smell like them, without a bonding, especially if that person is a particularly strong shifter (hence aomine commenting that kagami smelt like kuroko prior to them bonding) (tho in that case, kuroko isn't a strong shifter, aomine's just very sensitive to his scent, since they shared a bond)  
> \- Two or more shifters can form a “bond”. If it’s two individuals, it’s just called a “bond”. If there’s more than two people, it’s called a “pack” (or a herd, a pride, etc… depending on the type of shifter/animal the leader is).  
> \- Oh yeah, there are pack leaders.  
> \- Not all bonds are romantic/lead to romance. There’s a “mated bond” (meaning its romantic ~~\+ you’ve probably done the do~~ ) and a familial bond (meaning its platonic + you view each other as family)  
> \- “Imprinting” is when you make someone smell like you, basically marking your territory (in a non-gross way). If you don’t maintain close contact + renew the bond every now and then, then the bond will fade over time. It can also be broken intentionally if a bonded pair/group no longer wants to be bonded, though its still an emotionally painful thing to do, for all parties involved (this is what the Miracles + Kagami & Himuro did)  
> \- Kuroko had a familial bond with the Miracles + Momoi, Kagami a familial bond with Himuro + Alex  
> \- Kagami + Kuroko have a familial bond, as of right now (it could/may change into a romantic one in time...). So they’re not dating exactly, just very, very close!  
> \---  
> While writing this, I made a [Pinterest board](https://www.pinterest.com/rosiejean621/animal-au/) for inspiration for everyone’s animal forms. Check it out if you want to see what everyone looks like!
> 
> Here’s their animal assignments written out so you can match the characters to the photos (start at the bottom/end of the pinterest board);
> 
> Kuroko: ermine (aka a short-tailed weasel, aka a stoat) (however white ones are specifically called ermines)  
> Kagami: tiger (compared to one in the show)  
> Izuki: black eagle (eagle eye, duh) (i'm real creative)  
> Koganei: brown tabby cat (compared to one in the show)  
> Furihata: brown chihuahua (compared to one in the show) (tbh I kinda hated the idea of him being a little chihuahua until I saw the pics of the fluffy ones and was like “ah, yes, that’s Furi”)  
> Kiyoshi: brown bear (deceptively dopey-looking, yes, that's Kiyoshi. The “claw” aspect - as in “Vice Claw” - also works in this case too) (also riko’s affinity for bear-themed clothes checks out for all you shippers out there)
> 
> Kise: fox (had to resist making him a literal “copycat” bc there are already too many cats in this lol, so next instinct was a dog but I wanted him to be wild, so I went for dog-adjacent. A fox fits his personality and " uwu " aesthetic, I think)  
> Kasamatsu: boar (u may hate this choice but I stand by it lol. stubborn + scary, imagine him charging at Kise like this and try not to smile)
> 
> Midorima: elk (hardest one to assign tbh. I wanted him to be a predator too till I realized that it didn’t really fit him. He’s intimidating + powerful but graceful + regal, thus we have an elk-boy)  
> Takao: common black hawk (once again, my creativity must be blowing you away)
> 
> Aomine: panther (compared to one in the show)  
> Momoi: cockatoo/parrot (another toughie. I wanted her to be something cute + fluffy, but wanted her intelligence to play a major part too)  
> \---  
> I hope you enjoyed this fic. I may make it a series and detail the events of the other two seasons as well. Lmk if that's something you'd like to see!


End file.
